Lord of the Rings Giveaway Trivia; Part Two

Hey, guys and gals, I'm sorry I couldn't continue the Trivia as planned--I had completely forgotten I was leaving early for a family reunion. :) I may or may not be able to post due to lack of internet, but never fear--the giveaway shall go on! :D

To read about the giveaway (though the dates no longer apply), you can click here.

Now, for today's question...

"What are all of the names of Aragorn?"

HINT; There are seven that are the answers, but there may have been more.

Guess away! :D

Lord of the Rings Giveaway Trivia, Part One

****Looking for the giveaway? Click here to learn more about the giveaway and read the rules on how to get in on it.

LOTR trivia part one, everyone! For those of you who don't know or are hazy on the details of the rules on this, here it goes;

1) The first person who gets the question right gets one extra entry into the giveaway. If you don't know how to get regular entries into the giveaway, see my giveaway post.

2) If that person also gets it without searching in the book, he or she gets an EXTRA extra entry--i. e. two entries. Please be truthful when answering. :)

3) If you answer and receive an entry or two, you can't answer trivia again. Only one or two extra entries per person.

And it's also worth noting that all of the questions will be from the book, so please don't answer from the movie. :)

With that behind us, we can begin!

And for today's question...

"What was to be seen in the palantir of Minas Tirith after the Battle of Pelennor Fields?"

[HINT; The palantiri were those shiny balls of Sight that one could contact other people and see far things in. Saruman had one in Orthanc until Gandalf took it.]

Good luck, and keep your copies of LOTR close at hand! I'll be posting again tomorrow.

Let the guessing begin!

NOTE; If you find this too hard, then just mention it. >:) I may lower the difficulty if needed.

The Giveaway--the Tolkienish Something

It's here. Finally.

The giveaway.

The Tolkienish Something.

The Whizz-Bang.

All of that. Teenage Writer's first giveaway begins NOW.

How do you try to win that Tolkienish Something? You get entries. As you know, I gave a chance to guess the prize earlier and so get an extra entry, but, unfortunately, no one guessed it. :D

Anyway, there are THREE ways to get entries.

1) You must follow. Automatic entry (although this requires a comment to claim your entry) to those who already follow. To those who don't, please comment if you do decide to follow. :)

2) You must blog about it. I'd appreciate if you'd either contact me via email (see the page titled 'Contact Me' below the title of the blog) or comment on here to tell me that you blogged about it and give me the link so I can make sure that it's legit. :)

3) And for those smart cookies out there who are thinking, "It wouldn't matter if I did both of those; so will everyone else, and I'd have the same chances as if there were only one way to get entries." So that's why I have this; every day, Tuesday through Friday, I will have a post with some sort of LOTR trivia. The first person who answers correctly gets an entry. But if that first person answers correctly without looking it up, he or she gets a BONUS entry. :D I'll be relying on you guys and gals to be truthful, though. :)

Just for clarification, if that first person who answers the question correctly looks the answer up, but someone else who hadn't looked it up answers correctly after that person, the bonus entry doesn't count. :)

But what's the Tolkienish Something?


It's a The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Boxed Set, 1977 Ballantine edition. With a golden box. :) The edition I own is a little more faded and slightly frayed around the edges than this Amazon picture, but the books are in great condition for their age.

But wait! If you're thinking it's just some old copies of LOTR, prepare to be amazed. Literally just a little bit ago, I found this page on Amazon.com. Turns out this edition is quite collectable--and expensive. :)

The funniest thing? I bought it at a Goodwill for a dollar. Literally a dollar.

Two more notes;

One, I am happy to announce I will be able to ship to Canada! :D So no worries, those of you who live in Canada.

And two, if you are closely related to me, you cannot participate. ;)

Let the Giveaway begin!

Get Ready for the Whizz-Bang!

Since I'm posting, it means that I am BACK! With a terrible sunburn that.... itches. It just hurt for the last couple of days...but now... it iches terribly...and the problem is...I can't itch it... or it'll hurt my sunburn....

So, to explain the title, sometime in the next couple of days you'll wake up and see that I have posted something with the title 'The Giveaway--The Tolkienish Something'. And you'll find out that elusive prize that no one could guess....

On a completely 'random' note, I wrote a post on Why Everything is Random...Or Not on my other blog. Beware, however--it is 1) very random and 2) it is very confusing. Only go there if you love randomness and are prepared for a Random bombardment. :)

One Year Adventure Novel--And More About the Giveaway

Recently (yesterday, in fact), I started the OYAN on my father's recommendation. For those of you who don't know (I think I mentioned this before), I started OYAN once, only for it to flop about a quarter of the way through.

So that means that Sadaar is on hold for the duration of OYAN--which might not be long, at the blistering speed I'm going.

A little bit on OYAN; It's a curriculum made especially for those teens who want to write an adventure novel--whether it be from pirates to fantasy. Daniel Schwabauer, an award winning author and maker of OYAN, is a fantastic speaker, especially when it comes to writing. If I ever get close to his experience in writing, I'd be published, without a doubt. So anyway, the sole purpose of OYAN is to get you to write an adventure novel--in one school year.

Besides this, I'd like to announce that I will be gone--again. I'm going to my aunt's wedding. :) So hang on tight! After this, and after a reunion with distant relatives and stuff, I will finally have time to do the giveaway!

Relating to this, no one has guessed what I'm going to give away yet. Here's what has been guessed and what clues I have given out;

THE CLUES

-It is has to do with Tolkien
-It is literally golden
-It is book(s)

THE GUESSES

-It is NOT "The Hobbit: Vintage Gold Hardcover".
-It is PROBABLY NOT Keeneye's. XD
-It is NOT "The Tolkien Encyclopedia Golden Cover".
-But it IS something that has "All That is Gold Does Not Glitter" poem in it.

Here's what you need to do;
-Name a SPECIFIC edition of the book that you're guessing
-You only have three guesses
-If you guess correctly--edition and everything--you will get an extra entry into the giveaway. :)

Guess away!

A Writing Timeline

This post is a sort of writing biography, timeline, of my writing. It pretty much sums up most of my writing experience. Please keep in mind that most of these dates are extremely tenative--I have a terrible memory, especially when it comes to dates. And be warned--this is a long post.

1997-1998
My mom read picture books to me

2001? 2002?
I began to read--small books at first.

2006, I think
I read Eragon, by Christopher Paolini--and I started to write small stories

2007
My writing began to get longer (although most of the plot was copied from other books, and the grammar was atrocious) and I had now determined that I wanted to be a writer when I grew up.
Late 2007
I wrote a short story for school (I wasn't homeschooled then) that was roughly 6 pages--less, on the computer.

Sometime in 2007
I wrote a short, 7 paged 'book' titled Attack of the Clones (I was really into Star Wars then), although it was a fantasy story. It centered around an old man and his sword, two snow leopards, and evil 'clones' that attacked a city. The prose was terrible, but I was so proud of it back then. :D It was meant to be a trilogy that I was coauthoring with a friend, but he never finished the second book, titled 'Snow Leopards'--or something like that. :)

Early 2008? Late 2007?
After accidentally deleting Attack of the Clones (which, by then, I had decided needed some serious editing), I found myself sitting at the computer desk, typing up a document that I christened, 'Jake's Unknown Story'. If you've read this blog long enough, you know what that particular document is now called.

The plot, by that time, was only partially developed (I had a vague concept of dragons, dwarves, and a portal), but it was halfway unique--later, that is--and I worked furiously on it for a week or so. By the time that week was done, I had fabricated more of the plot, decided on the races I was to have, and made a God-figure--which I had given much thought to, as I hadn't ever tried to integrate God into my fantasy before.

A week, eight pages, and a flurry of ideas later, my idea ground to a crawl. I didn't work on it quite as much, but in my spare time I whittled away at it.

You see, I had never completed anything that had a large, full blown plot. My previous 'works' (which totaled up to the two mentioned above) were either a school project or a random idea. This, which started out as a random idea, now had a plot and a feeling for the ending--something which I had never completed. I was rather intimidated by the idea of writing ALL of that content.

This was the problem I had.

Besides this, I had a short attention span, when it came to writing. I kept going off and starting more 'novels' (none of which passed 10 pages), though this stopped happening once my novel gained length.

Summer 2008
During this time I ran out of books--literally. I couldn't find any books to read. Of course, my definition of any was 'hardly any'. So I had several books to read, but I had a famine.

In the abscence of books, I turned back to writing. I wrote slowly, but surely, and my pages began to tally up.

2008-Early 2009
I worked on my book, off and on, and managed to get more than halfway through it.

Spring 2009, I think
We moved from our house, causing a problem--I had no computer to work on. A long lapse in my writing proceeded through two months as we tried to find a new house. At that time, I was about two thirds of the way through my novel, although I didn't know it then.

Summer 2009?
Dates are terrible in my mind. I just can't remember them. But sometime in 2009, we found a house and bought it.

Once moved in, my writing progressed very fast, both in quality and quantity. I wrote fast and furiously once I sensed I was finally nearing my goal of finishing my novel.

Later that Summer of 2009
To my great horror and disgust, I accidentally deleted 10 pages of my novel. This caused a terrible writer's block and lapse in writing that lasted nearly three months. It not only extended from my 'Unknown Story' but to all of my writing. Much of my writing ceased.

Late Summer, Early Fall 2009
I finally plucked up my courage and my determination to try and rewrite the deleted portion of my novel. It passed exruciatingly slowly, but eventually, within the week, I was back on track.

Being freed from this hindrance, I wrote like mad for the next week.

Finally, after nearly two years or so, I sat back one hot day with a sigh, and said, "I'm done." I felt a mixture of sadness and happiness, a strange sensation. I had finally finished my novel.

I realized that I must now edit my novel, a process that is still going on today.

Fall 2009
Editing begins. I checked out numerous editing books from the library, (none of which were any help) and edited and rewrote and cut--although I only did a bit of the latter.

During this time, I picked up a story that I had started during the early days of my writing famine and, after a lot of midnight thought, decided to work it in as a sequel to my novel.

Writing took off there like a bullet, and I had never wrote faster--or better--in my entire life. Some passages in that novel, like the Leviathan Chapter I posted earlier, are better than many of my current novel's chapters.

Early 2010
I finished my novel in record time--and it was longer than my first one! You can read a former blog post on it here.

Later that month, 2010
I started my third novel, the one I'm working on now. It's currently longer than both of my other novels were at rough draft--and I still have a lot left to write.

Sometime, during school, 2010
I wrote my first short story since 'Attack of the Clones'. You now know it as 'The Dark King'

Early Summer 2010
I submitted an allegorical short story of mine to a contest. It tied second place out of seven or eight other stories, which was exciting for me. :) If you would like to read it, you can go here and click on 'The Cornerstone'.

To date
I have over twenty thousand words on my last two novels and almost thirty thousand on my first--I expect to break thirty thousand soon. I have two completed short stories, one of which, the Cornerstone, is already completely edited and finished and the second, the Dark King, is being edited right now.

Besides this, I have a prequel alone and a sequel series in the same world as my current trilogy planned, and also a highly allegorical novella planned (and partially written) once I'm finished editing the Dark King. Several other, barely formed, ideas for novels not relating to my current trilogy are also floating around my mind.

----

Sorry--that was longer than I expected. :) Feel free to comment!

Review; Venom and Song

Venom and Song.

It's been talked about on this blog for some time--and on plenty of others. Finally, a month ago, it came out. I was priveleged to buy it less than a week ago. I took my time and digested it like the amazing book it was. But it surpassed my greatest hopes and expectations.

WARNING; This book may just change your view of Christian Fantasy forever.

Time is running out...

Trapped in the strange world of Allyra, the seven royal Elf lords struggle to control their new powers. With the Spider King chasing them and traitors in their midst, the young lords must unravel the mystery of the legendary Rainsong before the Elven race is destroyed forever. Standing in their way are peculiar and perilous creatures, a trap-filled fortress, and a dangerous secret.

Will the Prophecies come true? Or will the Spider King win again? [from the back cover]

Amazing. Inspirational. Heart-wrenching. Spiritual. All of these things describe Venom and Song.

If anything could be called epic, it would be this. The battles are breathtaking and detailed, but not so the reader would be grossed out. The plot is always twisting and turning. Every time I think the authors would do one thing, they do the opposite. Full of dangers, deception, hope, action, and mystery, Venom and Song is epic indeed.

The Christian elements in this book are taken to a much higher level then in the previous book. Some of the complaints against the previous book, Curse of the Spider King, was that there was little mention or insight into Ellos (the God-figure in the Berinfell Prophecies.) There is a lot more about Ellos in Venom and Song, however

One of the possible cons was that there were seven protagonists, preventing character development. Let me tell you; this doesn't happen. The characters developed wonderfully, and I cared for each one of them--the ultimate character goal of each writer.

The political intriugue in this book is pulled of masterfully as well. The only cons in this excellent book is that it ended far too quickly. :)

This book, Venom and Song, is number 8 on my Top Ten Fiction list. Seriously. I have read many books, but this one is one of the best.

I recommend this to any fantasy lover (and even to those who aren't!). Rated 9.65 out of 10.

Now, to endure the torture of waiting until the next book...

Giveaway--But Not Mine

Hey, everyone, this'll be just a short post. Seth is having a giveaway at his blog--of THREE copies of Venom and Song. Posting this will give me an entry, so here it is. Head on over there to check out the rules and stuff.

Also in that post is a shortenized version of his review, so be sure to check that out as well.

Whee! A Tag

Beorn has tagged me with the illustrious Candid Room Tag--which means I have to post picture(s) of my room without cleaning it up first. So prepare yourself to see the disaster area known as my room.

(above) This picture shows most of my room. My bed is a holy mess, my amp has cords hanging all over the place, and you can see the remaints of unpacking from my mission trip. If you zoom in close (if you can) on the table, you'll be able to see a published-in-1898 black leather Bible from Sierra Leone.

(above) My table, on which I put my radio/CD Player, clock, fan, library books, and miscellaneous junk. Behind the fan (which was on) you can see a drum from Africa. It was 10:52 PM when I took this picture, as you can see by the clock.

(above) My bookshelf, my guitars. Pretty much sums it up.

And last, but certainly not least...

My bookshelf--close up. If you can zoom in, feel free to take a look at the books. The only one whose title is clearly visible from this vantage is Brisingr, by Christopher Paolini. This isn't all of my books, however. Many of them are on my Amazon Kindle, COTSK included. Venom and Song, however, is sitting beside me with a bookmark stuck in the middle, so it wasn't included in the picture. :)

And just becuase I can, I tag ALL of my followers--those who have a blog. People who have already done it are an exception, like Beorn. :D

Heh heh, this should be interesting...

TOLKIEN!! And Why He Can't Come

If you have read the post of this title, (which most people do), and have looked at the sidebar at the number of followers this blog has (which many of you may), and if you follow this blog (if you're reading this, and you don't, go ahead and follow! Excluding parents), and you actually know what I'm talking about, (if you don't, go two posts down and read), then you already know the subject of this post. You guessed it; Something Tolkienish is about to happen...

Unfortunately, it has been postponed. Until further notice. It requires a week for myself, and I don't have a week yet in which I can do it, since I'm on vacation all next week, going to my aunt's wedding the next, and something I forgot the third week, I can't do it. Hopefully, if I have built enough suspense, then most of you should be going, "Darn!" and slamming your fist on a nearby table--or something similar in reaction.

So that means y'all will have to sit tight and wait.

TRANSLATION (for those who can't understand my rambling); Since I'm going to be gone for about three weeks, I can't do the Tolkienish thing that I promised once I reached 25 followers.

WAIT! Don't leave. I have some spoilers for the upcoming giveaway (yes, it is a giveaway!).

First; It is golden. Literally.

Second; It is book(s).

Third--Whoever guesses the prize correctly gains another entry into the giveaway. Seriously. But no one will ever guess.


EDIT; It must be a specific edition of the book that you are specifying. Otherwise it would be guessed in an instant. :D

SECOND EDIT; Only three tries per person, either all in one comment or three.

A Jumbled-Up Box of Randomized Words that Smells Strange--Probably Texas

If you don't understand the title of this post, no fear; you'll understand by the time this is done. :D

First of all (of many, that is), I am BACK! Yes. :D Can you tell? I've been back for a while, but the intoxicating combination of heated writing, amazing books (Jeffrey Overstreet!), and internet problems lured me away from the blog.

My first mission trip, for those of you who were wondering, went wonderfully. I may post a debriefing post on my other blog soon, so keep a lookout.

Second, my editing on Novel #1 has gone officially fantastic! I've rewritten in nearly 3500 words today alone. And I have finally found a title (a working one, at least), after many days (or years) of searching; Quest for the Kingdom.

Give me your opinion on it! :D

Third, J. R. Parker's book, Kestrel's Midnight Song, was just endorsed by Wayne Thomas Batson! That makes me jump. Strange. Anyway, he compared it to Paolini's writing, so if that doesn't interest you, than nothing will. Click here to check out his post on it.

Fourth (yes, I know--this is getting long), it is far too hot here in the Midwest.

Fifth, these select lyrics, from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, always tickle my funny bone. :D

When I think of his last great battle
A lump comes to my throat
It takes a man who knows no fear
To wrestle...with a goat

At the time, they [the brothers] were speaking of Joseph and his blood-stained coat. It makes me laugh so much. :D

Sixth, would you, readers, mind if I posted a review on a nonfiction book? Obviously, it's good enough for me to post a review on it, and yes, it's a Christian book. But I'm not going to reveal the title just yet. :)

Lastly, my followers jumped while I was gone. Only one more follower until I reach the big 25. And then... *evil laugh*

Something Tolkienish shall happen... Moohahaha. :D



[PS; For those of you who didn't get the 'Probably Texas' bit, I went to Arlington, Texas on my mission trip.]

Going to be Gone

Hey, everyone, I'd like to warn you that I'll be gone June 20-26 on a mission trip. So that means there will not be any posts for that week.


Besides this, I'd like to fit in a couple events/news that I had no idea where else to put. :)

First, Wayne Thomas Batson is having an Amazon Blitz on June 22 for his new book with Christopher Hopper, Venom and Song. If you like fantasy and love the Berinfell Prophecies, then that's the place to be. Elves are going to invade Amazon's bestseller list! For those who are in the Tribe contest, it also means MEGA Vanadils. Go here for more info.


So, as Wayne Thomas Batson says, "Light the torches and gather the pitchforks!"

It's time for Elves to invade Amazon.

Second, once I reach 25 followers, something Tolkienish is going to happen...

Top Four Time-Wasters for Writers

What are the four most time-wasting things for writers, things that make distract them from the writing they're doing, and how do you stay away from them?


4) Over-Brainstorming

Believe it or not, brainstorming a little too much can be a bad thing. Sitting and staring at the computer screen/paper, thinking about what you're going to write stops being helpful after about a minute. Once you have the general idea of what you're going to write, then write it. Otherwise you might end of 'brainstorming' the entire time and never get a word down. Taking a long time to brainstorm is best done when you aren't able to write. During a long car voyage or if you can't get to sleep are two examples that I use constantly.


3) Noise

Noise distracts you, big time. Music is one classic example. While for many people, music helps them focus, most of the time I find that when a good song that I like comes on the radio, I think, "Oh, look, my favorite song is on," and so get distracted from my writing. However, there are select times and tunes where music is useful. Like when I was writing at 12:00 in the morning and was being creeped out by my own writing and the silence. :)

Talking and movies in the background is terrible as well. I don't know how many times I hear my name spoken, and leave to computer to find out who's talking about me. Movies are the same. Terribly distracting. I have found myself, while trying to write, ending up watching the movie just because it's a movie.


2) Self Criticism While Writing

Now we've come to one that almost tops the first time-waster; self criticism while writing. You're your most critical critic, but doing that while still writing isn't good. I touched on this several times before, and every word I said is echoed here again; it's a lot harder to finish a novel while you're constantly editing than to finish a novel and then edit.

By doing this, you'll lose time (and possibly waste some).


1) The Internet

I bet you saw this one coming. The internet is seriously the most distracting thing for writing ever invented. You get on the computer to write, and you instantly have a choice; write, or get on the internet? It's honestly a hard question.

I am guilty of this. Very guilty. I had no idea there were so many things more appealing than writing. And the internet is a classic cause of false writer's block. I get on the computer to write and find I want to get on the internet. "Well," I say to myself, "It must be writer's block." Writer's block is real, but oftentimes the cause is just that you would rather be doing something else; like the internet.



So the bottom line; Stay away from the internet, get away from the noise, and just write. :)

And the Winner is...

A couple of days ago, I, and several other people, did a Word War for the Smokin' Pen Award.

And the winner is....

Who wrote 3751 words...

In one night...


Eldra!


You can copy the picture below and put it on your sidebar, if you like. Congratulations!




I'll be starting regular blogging again tomorrow, so look out! :)

Word War Begins Tomorrow!!

Yes, leap for joy! It is time for a Word War, the prestigious and nonexistent-until-five-minutes-ago 'Teenage Writer Word War I'.

For those of you who don't know what it is, and for those of you who do (I'm changing things up!), here's a list of rules.

1. A Word War is simply a war of words. Whoever writes the most words in their novel/story/poem/etc. in the allotted time wins!

2.The Word War begins at five in the afternoon Central Time tomorrow. (I think that's what my time zone is called...) It ends at dawn the next day. (I know some of you; you'll write half the night.) :D

3. In order to enter the Word War, you must first a) Put in your current project and word count via the comments section, and then b) the next day, tell me how many words (through the comments section) you wrote in the allotted time.

The winner will win my completely made up award; The Smokin' Pen Award. You can save it one your computer and (if you have a blog or website) post it on the sidebar.

I will participate, writing in Sadaar, my third novel, but I won't recieve the award if I win. It'll go to second place, then. :D

Get ready for the WORD WAR!!

Tip for June 9, 2010; The Gift of Goals, Part One

There are two kinds of goals; time goals, and word goals. At least, that's what I call them. Word goals are a certain word count that writers want their novels/stories to have. Time goals are how long until you feel you have to finish your novel/story.

In this post (there will be more!), I'm going to write about time goals.

Lately I have set a goal for my current novel, Sadaar; I want to finish it by the end of summer. To some, such goals are impossible. "What?" they might say. "There is NO way I could do that."

Perhaps. Perhaps not. Here's the way I actually do my goals;

1) Ask God to help you make the goal. It works. No kidding.

2) I force myself to write. Writer's block? Sit down and think about what's blocking you, and then remedy the situation. If my creative juices are gone, I keep writing, no matter how dry the stuff I'm typing out is. That's what editing is for! Also, ignoring the internet helps.

3) Do not, whatever you do, don't start editing before the novel is done, unless it affects the plot. This one may differ from each person, but as for me, there are so many mistakes out there, I will never get my novel perfect before going on to write the next piece. I keep on writing and never look back at what I wrote until the novel is done and in front of me. Then I edit like mad. :)

And for those who don't have goals, you might want to think of making one. This, too, may differ from each person, but for me, I find that my productivity goes up a level by having a certain self-imposed date that I want to finish my novel or reach a certain part.

All in all, I think that time goals are a good thing to have, especially if you want to write a lot.

Some Updates

Blogger was down yesterday, so I apologize for not blogging.

I'm just going to bring some stuff up-to-date, as I don't have enough time to write a full-fledged post.

Okay, so first, here's some writing updates.

-I've hit a couple of plot flops in my third novel, so it's kind of ground to a halt. On Friday, I plan to try to revive it.
-I am currently editing/rewriting the Dark King. :D
-My rewriting for my first novel is bucking along very well. I've been adding some subplot, and I'm very pleased with the result.

And next;
-I am busy over the next couple days, (especially on Thursday), so I may not be able to blog.
-If I can blog, be looking for writing tip (yes, I revived it!).

And that's about it, I think. :)

Review; Curse of the Spider King

The Seven succeeding Elven Lords of Allyra were dead, lost in the Siege of Berinfell as babes. At least that's what everyone thought until tremors from a distant world known as Earth, revealed strange signs that Elven blood lived among its peoples. With a glimmer of hope in their hearts, sentinels are sent to see if the signs are true. But theirs is not a lone errand. The ruling warlord of Allyra, the Spider King, has sent his own scouts to hunt down the Seven and finish the job they failed to complete many ages ago.

Now 13-year-olds on the brink of the Age of Reckoning when their Elven gifts will be manifest, discover the unthinkable truth that their adoptive families are not their only kin. With mysterious Sentinels revealing breathtaking secrets of the past, and dark strangers haunting their every move, will the young Elf Lords find the way back to the home of their birth? Worlds and races collide as the forces of good and evil battle. Will anyone escape the Curse of the Spider King? [Description and image taken from Amazon.com]

This was actually the first book that I read by either Wayne Thomas Batson or Christopher Hopper, and it is one of the best.

One of the things that was both good and bad was that there were seven protagonists. Seven. Quite a bit. But CH and WTB manage to pull it off masterfully.

Mr. Batson's humor, seen often in his other books (like The Door Within), was also present. There was a particular paragraph about a cell phone (COTSK fans will know what I'm talking about) that literally made me laugh my head off.

Mr. Hopper's description skills and other qualities shone through the pages of this excellent book as well.

The character development could have been a bit better on a few select characters, but altogether, considering the enormous amount of characters, protagonists and other characters alike, the development was superb.

The combination of these two authors was, to say the least, amazing. I can't wait to read their next book in the Berinfell Prophecies series, Venom and Song. (which, incidentially, comes out in several days!)

Rated 9.1 out of 10

[NOTE; Sorry about the image, it was the only one I could find. :) ]

Assorted News

Sorry for the fitful blogging, everyone. This will be a short post, mostly just because I have half a dozen short things to say.

Sorry, readers, but I've decided to postpone the Top Ten list until further notice. I have been VERY busy (how are you not surprised?) writing, editing, etc. In fact, I entered a short story I recently wrote (no, not the Dark King) at a C. S. Lewis contest at the Pen and the Parchment. You can go over there and vote for your favorite story soon.

On a completely different note, I have good news; I have only 404 Wases to eliminate from my first novel. Ah, make that 402. Wish me luck on my Was manhunt! :)

Besides this, Wayne Thomas Batson's (author of the Door Withing Trilogy) and Christopher Hopper's (author of Rise of the Dibor) Tribe-Building Contest has begun! Click here to get more details.

I'm making a little bubble at the top of the page (in fact, you should be able to see it already) with the current word count of my third novel (the one I'm currently working on). I'm hoping to finish it this summer and start outlining another book soon.

And my first random post is over. And I like dark chocolate. :D

The Honorable Mentions

Yes, I haven't blogged for quite a bit. There were two reasons for this;

-I wanted the chapter from my novel to be up as long as possible.
-and I have been very busy.

But now it is time for the next stage in my blog schedule; My top ten favorite books. But what would this be without the honorable mentions? The following books are amazing novels, but were just a bit below the top ten list.



The Door Within, by Wayne Thomas Batson

By Darkness Hid, by Jill Williamson

The Word Reclaimed by Steve Rzasa

The Word Unleashed by Steve Rzasa

Dragons in Our Midst by Bryan Davis

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, by Andrew Peterson

Rise of the Wyrm Lord by Wayne Thomas Batson

To Darkness Fled by Jill Williamson

The Vanishing Sculptor by Donita K. Paul

The DragonKeeper Chronicles, by Donita K. Paul


I will start my series of favorite books soon, so keep on checking back!